During Black History Month (and every day!), we celebrate Dr. Kizzmekia “Kizzy” Corbett-Helaire, a Nerdy Girl hero who developed the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. This vaccine continues to save countless lives around the world every day. She is also passionate about health equity, effective science communication, and encouraging young Black women to pursue the study of science.
Dr. Corbett-Helaire is a 39-year-old Black American scientist. Until 2021 she was a viral immunologist at the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health based in Bethesda, Maryland, where she was the lead scientist for the Coronavirus Vaccines & Immunopathogenesis Team. In May 2021, Dr. Corbett joined the faculty at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she is currently the Director of the Corbett Lab. The focus of the diverse team at the Lab is to inform vaccine development and therapeutic antibody discovery, particularly focused on pandemic preparedness. Dr. Corbett-Helaire says, “I want my lab to feel like a family where everyone has each other’s back – there are older siblings and younger siblings, but each person has a specific position that is essential.”
Born in a small town in rural North Carolina, she grew up with her mom Rhonda Brooks, her stepfather, and several siblings, including step and foster siblings. Her mother is quoted as saying, “Kizzy was always like a detective.” (NBC 2020) Her big goals like being the first Black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Medicine and her compassion for others were obvious in childhood. Her teachers encouraged her parents to nurture her love of science, and in high school, she was chosen for a summer program that provided opportunities for students from traditionally underrepresented groups to explore science careers.
Kizzy Corbett-Helaire developed her love of science as a Meyerhoff Scholar and an NIH undergraduate scholar at the University of Maryland—Baltimore County (UMBC). As a student there, she caught the attention of then-president Dr. Freeman Hrabowski. When he reflected on the young student and her accomplishments, he stated, “She cannot be a hidden figure. She needs to be in textbooks. Little girls need to see her — of all races. He says that little girls everywhere need to know, “This is what’s possible.”
After graduating with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a secondary degree in Sociology, she was accepted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2014, she obtained her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 18% of all US graduates complete college with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) degrees. Only 2% of those graduates are Black Americans.
Under the leadership of Dr. Corbett-Helaire, the team at the NIH worked for six years on the development of novel coronavirus vaccines in anticipation of a pandemic just like the one we are experiencing now. After 10 months of collaboration with Moderna in 2020, her team was ready to launch the vaccine we have available today.
When asked about the impact of her work, Dr. Corbett-Helaire said, “To be honest, I didn’t realize the level of impact that my visibility might have… I do my work because I love my work.”
At the Corbett Lab, Dr. Corbett-Helaire and her team use their expertise to inform vaccine development and therapeutic antibody discovery for coronaviruses and other emerging and re-emerging viruses. We will benefit from her work for years to come.
Further reading:
Duke Integrative Immunobiology: IIB Celebrates Black History Month – Kizzmekia S. Corbett-Helaire, PhD
Connecticut Science Center: Celebrating Black History Month Featuring Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett
The New York Times: She Helped Unlock the Science of the Covid Vaccine
